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 Talk Talk - Communication terms
Category: General technical and industrial
Date & country: 28/05/2010, UK
Words: 18630


Gustavus Adolphus
King of Sweden from 1611, when he succeeded his father Charles IX. He waged successful wars with Denmark, Russia, and Poland, and in the Thirty Years' War became a champion of the Protestant cause. Landing in Germany 1630, he defeated the German general Wallenstein at Lützen, southwest of Leipzig 6 November 1632, but was killed in the batt...

Gunpowder Plot
In British history, the Catholic conspiracy to blow up James I and his parliament on 5 November 1605. It was discovered through an anonymous letter. Guy Fawkes was found in the cellar beneath the Palace of Westminster, ready to fire a store of explosives. Several of the conspirators were killed as th...

Guizot, François Pierre Guillaume
French politician and historian, professor of modern history at the Sorbonne, Paris 1812–30. He wrote histories of French and European culture and became prime minister 1847. His resistance to all reforms led to the revolution of 1848

guild
Medieval association, particularly of artisans or merchants, formed for mutual aid and protection and the pursuit of a common purpose, whether religious or economic. Guilds became politically powerful in Europe but after the 16th century their position was undermined by the growth of capitalism. Guilds fulfilling charitable or religious functions (...

Guienne
Ancient province of southwestern France which formed the duchy of Aquitaine with Gascony in the 12th century. Its capital was Bordeaux. It became English 1154 and passed to France 1453

Guardi, Francesco
Italian painter. He produced souvenir views of his native Venice that were commercially less successful than Canaletto's but are now considered more atmospheric, with subtler use of reflected light. He began as a figure painter, collaborating with his brother Gian Antonio, but in middle age, that is from about 1760, devoted himself to views of ...

Gulf, the
Large shallow inlet of the Arabian Sea; area 233,000 sq km/90,000 sq mi. It divides the Arabian peninsula from Iran and is linked by the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman to the Arabian Sea. Oilfields producing about one-third of the world's oil surround it in the Gulf States of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Ar...

gun
Any kind of firearm or any instrument consisting of a metal tube from which a projectile is discharged; see also artillery, machine gun, pistol, and small arms

Gulf Stream
Warm ocean current that flows north from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico along the east coast of America, from which it is separated by a channel of cold water originating in the southerly Labrador current. Off Newfoundland, part of the current is diverted east across the Atlantic, where it is known as the North Atlantic Drift, dividing to fl...

gun metal
Type of bronze, an alloy high in copper (88%), also containing tin and zinc, so-called because it was once used to cast cannons. It is tough, hard-wearing, and resists corrosion

guerrilla
Irregular soldier fighting in a small, unofficial unit, typically against an established or occupying power, and engaging in sabotage, ambush, and the like, rather than pitched battles against an opposing army. Guerrilla tactics have been used both by resistance armies in wartime (for example, the Vietnam War) and in peacetime by national liberatio...

Guanyin
In Chinese Buddhism, the goddess of mercy. In Japan she is Kannon or Kwannon, an attendant of the Amida Buddha (Amitabha). Her origins were in India as the male bodhisattva Avalokitesvara

gurnard
Any of a group of coastal fish that creep along the sea bottom with the help of three fingerlike appendages detached from the pectoral fins. Gurnards are both tropical and temperate zone fish. (Genus Trigla, family Trigilidae.)

Guatemala
Click images to enlargeCountry in Central America, bounded north and northwest by Mexico, east by Belize and the Caribbean Sea, southeast by Honduras and El Salvador, and southwest by the Pacific Ocean. Government Guatemala has a multiparty political system, with a presidential political executive. Under its 1985 constitu...

Guinea
Country in West Africa, bounded north by Senegal, northeast by Mali, southeast by Côte d'Ivoire, south by Liberia and Sierra Leone, west by the Atlantic Ocean, and northwest by Guinea-Bissau. Government The 1991 constitution, amended in 1992, provides for a directly elected president, who is head of both state and government and serves...

Guinea-Bissau
Country in West Africa, bounded north by Senegal, east and southeast by Guinea, and southwest by the Atlantic Ocean. Government Guinea-Bissau is a republic with a multiparty political system, with a presidential executive. Its 1984 constitution was amended in 1991 to legalize parties other than the African Party for the Independence of Portugue...

Guyana
Country in South America, bounded north by the Atlantic Ocean, east by Suriname, south and southwest by Brazil, and northwest by Venezuela. Government Guyana is a sovereign republic within the Commonwealth, with a multiparty political system based around a dual executive of president and prime minister. The 1980 constitution provides for a single&#...

guru
Hindu or Sikh leader, or religious teacher

guillotine
(politics) In politics, a device used by UK governments in which the time allowed for debating a bill in the House of Commons is restricted so as to ensure its speedy passage to receiving the royal assent (that is, to becoming law). The tactic of guillotining was introduced during the 1880s to...

Guelph and Ghibelline
Rival parties in medieval Germany and Italy, which supported the papal party and the Holy Roman emperors respectively. They originated in the 12th century as partisans of rival German houses, that of Welf (hence Guelph or Guelf) of the dukes of Bavaria, and that of the lords of Hohenstaufen (whose castle at Waiblingen gave the Ghibellines their nam...

Guise, Henri
French noble who persecuted the Huguenots and was partly responsible for the Massacre of St Bartholomew in 1572. He was assassinated

Guérin, Camille
French bacteriologist who, with Albert Calmette, developed the BCG vaccine for tuberculosis in 1921

Gujarati
Inhabitants of Gujarat on the northwest coast of India. The Gujaratis number approximately 30 million and speak their own Indo-European language, Gujarati, which has a long literary tradition. They are predominantly Hindu (90%), with Muslim (8%) and Jain (2%) minorities

gurdwara
Sikh place of worship and meeting. As well as a room housing the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book and focus for worship, the gurdwara contains the langar, a kitchen and eating area for the communal meal, where male and female, Sikh and non-Sikh, may eat together as equals

Guzmán Blanco, Antonio
Venezuelan dictator and military leader (caudillo), who seized power 1870 and remained absolute ruler until 1889. He modernized Caracas to become the political capital; committed resources to education, communications, and agriculture; and encouraged foreign trade

Guilin
Resort city in northeast Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, south China, on the Li River; population (2000) 764,400. Its spectacular limestone mountains, rock formations, and underground caves are one of China's major tourist attractions. Machinery, electronics, textiles, and cement are manufa...

Guinevere
In British legend, the wife of King Arthur. Her adulterous love affair with the knight Lancelot of the Lake led ultimately to Arthur's death

Gullit, Ruud
Dutch international footballer who was captain when the Netherlands captured the European Championship in 1988. In the first of two successive European Cup wins with club side AC Milan, Gullit scored two goals in a 4–0 win over Steaua Bucharest. Gullit became the first foreign manager to win the English FA Cup when Chelsea won the competition ...

Gustavus I
King of Sweden, better known as Gustavus Vasa

Gustavus II
King of Sweden, better known as Gustavus Adolphus

Guaraní
Member of an American Indian people who formerly inhabited the area that is now Paraguay, southern Brazil, and Bolivia. The Guaraní live mainly in reserves; few retain the traditional ways of hunting in the tropical forest, cultivation, and ritual warfare. About 1 million speak Guaraní, a member of the Tupian language group

gulag
Russian term for the system of prisons and labour camps used to silence dissidents and opponents of the Soviet regime. In the Stalin era (1920s–1930s), thousands of prisoners died from the harsh conditions of these remote camps

gut
In the digestive system, the part of an animal responsible for processing food and preparing it for entry into the blood. The gut consists of a tube divided into segments specialized to perform different functions. The front end (the mouth) is adapted for food intake and for the first stages of digestion. The stomach is a storage area, although dig...

Guayaquil
Largest city and chief port of Ecuador near the mouth of the Guayas River; population (2001) 1,985,400. The economic centre of Ecuador and the capital of Guayas province, the port is the world's leading exporter of bananas and industries include textiles, iron and steel, engineering, pharmaceuticals, cement, and petroleum refining. Other ex...

Gulf War
Click images to enlargeWar 16 January–28 February 1991 between Iraq and a coalition of 28 nations led by the USA. The invasion and annexation of Kuwait by Iraq on 2 August 1990 provoked a build-up of US troops in Saudi Arabia, eventually totalling over 500,000. The UK subsequently deployed 42,000 troops, France 1...

gumtree
Common name for the eucalyptus tree

guano
Dried excrement of fish-eating birds that builds up under nesting sites. It is a rich source of nitrogen and phosphorous, and is widely collected for use as fertilizer. Some 80% comes from the sea cliffs of Peru

Guinea worm
Parasitic, microscopic nematode worm found in India and Africa, affecting some 650,000 people in Nigeria alone. It enters the body via drinking water and migrates to break out through the skin. (Species Dracunculus medinensis.)

guard cell
In plants, a specialized cell on the undersurface of leaves for controlling gas exchange and water loss. Guard cells occur in pairs and are shaped so that a pore, or stomata, exists between them. They can change shape with the result that the pore disappears. During warm weather, when a plant is in danger of losing excessive water, the guard cells ...

Gupta dynasty
Indian hereditary rulers that reunified and ruled over much of northern and central India 320–550. The dynasty's stronghold lay in the Magadha region of the middle Ganges valley, with the capital Pataliputra. Gupta influence was extended through military conquest east, west, and south by Chandragupta I, Chandragupta II, and Samudragupta. H...

Gunnell, Sally
British hurdler. She won the 1986 Commonwealth 100-metre hurdles gold medal before moving on to 400-metre hurdles at which she won Olympic, world, Commonwealth, and European titles. In winning gold at the 1993 World Championships she set a new world record with a time of 52.74 seconds. She announced her retirement from competition in 1997, ...

Guscott, Jeremy
English rugby union player for Bath, England, and the British Lions. A fast, elusive centre of prodigious talent, he was a key member of the England side that won three Grand Slams in the Five Nations Championship between 1991 and 1995. He has played on three consecutive British Lions tours since 1989, most memorably in the second match on the 1997...

gurpurb
Sikh festival celebrating a special event associated with the lives of the gurus. The most important celebrate the birthdays of Nanak (October/November) and Gobind Singh (December), and commemorate the martyrdom of Arjan (May/June) and Tegh Bahadur (November). Three weeks before the gurpurb, there is a procession around the villages early i...

Gwyn, Nell
(Eleanor) English comedy actor from 1665. She was formerly an orange-seller at Drury Lane Theatre, London. The poet Dryden wrote parts for her, and from 1669 she was the mistress of Charles II

Gwynedd
Click images to enlargeUnitary authority in northwest Wales, created 1996 from part of the former county of Gwynedd. Area 2,546 sq km/983 sq mi Towns Caernarfon (administrative headquarters) Physical area includes the highest mountain in Wales, Snowdon (1,085 m/3,560 ft), and the largest Welsh lake, Llyn Tegid (Ba...

Gwynedd, kingdom of
Medieval Welsh kingdom comprising north Wales and Anglesey. It was the most powerful kingdom in Wales during the 10th and 11th centuries: its king Gruffydd ap Llewellyn dominated Wales in the mid-11th century and nearly succeeded in uniting the Welsh. When the Normans invaded England, Gwynedd led Welsh resistance against Norman efforts to e...

gyroscope
Mechanical instrument, used as a stabilizing device and consisting, in its simplest form, of a heavy wheel mounted on an axis. The direction of the axis is stable; if it is displaced, the gyroscope tends to resist the change. Applications of the gyroscope principle include the gyrocompass, the autopilot for automatic control of an aircraft, and...

gynoecium
Collective term for the female reproductive organs of a flower, consisting of one or more carpels, either free or fused together

gyre
Circular surface rotation of ocean water in each major sea (a type of current). Gyres are large and permanent, and occupy the northern and southern halves of the three major oceans. Their movements are dictated by the prevailing winds and the Coriolis effect. Gyres move clockwise in the northern hemisphere and anticlockwise in the southern hemisphe...

Gypsy
English name for a member of the Romany people

gymnastics
Physical exercises, originally for health and training (so called from the way in which men of ancient Greece trained: gymnos `naked`). The gymnasia were schools for training competitors for public games. Men's gymnastics includes high bar, parallel bars, horse vault, rings, pommel horse, and ...

gynaecology
Medical speciality concerned with disorders of the female reproductive system

gymnosperm
In botany, any plant whose seeds are exposed, as opposed to the structurally more advanced angiosperms, where they are inside an ovary. The group includes conifers and related plants such as cycads and ginkgos, whose seeds develop in cones. Fossil gymnosperms have been found in rocks about 350 million years old

Gy
Symbol for gray, the SI unit of absorbed ionizing radiation dose, equal to an absorption of 1 joule per kilogram of irradiated matter

Harpy
In early Greek mythology, a wind spirit; in later legend, such as the story of the Argonauts, a female monster with a horrific face, pale with hunger, and the body of a vulture. Often associated with the underworld, harpies were believed to abduct those people who disappeared without trace, and were perceived as an instrument of torment used by...

Harpers Ferry
Town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers meet; population (2000 est) 300. First settled in 1732, and incorporated as a town in 1763, it is chiefly significant for its place in the history of the abolitionism. On 16 October 1859 the antislavery leader John Brown seized the fede...

harp
Plucked musical string instrument. It consists of a set of strings stretched vertically over a triangle-shaped frame. The strings rise from a sloping soundboard and are tensioned at the opposite end by pegs. The orchestral harp is the largest instrument of its type. It has 47 strings covering the range B0–C7 (seven octaves). At its base th...

Hancock, Tony
(Anthony John) English lugubrious radio and television comedian. His radio show Hancock's Half Hour (1951–53) showed him famously at odds with everyday life; it was followed by a television show of the same name in 1956. He also appeared in films, including <...

Hammurabi
Sixth ruler of the first dynasty of Babylon, reigned 1792–1750 or 1728–1686 BC. He united his country and took it to the height of its power. He authorized a legal code, of which a copy was found in 1902. Hammurabi established a temporary empire by conquering neighbouring city-states, i...

Hawaii
Click images to enlargePacific state of the USA, the only island state, separate from the North American continent and the world's longest island chain, made up of 8 main islands and 124 islets and reefs; area 16,635 sq km/6,423 sq mi; population (2006) 1,285,500; capital Honolulu on Oahu. It was offic...

Havana
Click images to enlargeCapital and port of Cuba, on the northwest coast of the island; population (2002) 2,201,600. Products include cigars and tobacco, sugar, coffee, and fruit. Moved to its present site in 1519, it is one of the oldest cities in the Americas. The old city centre was designated a World Heritage Site ...

Hastings, Warren
English colonial administrator. A protégé of Lord Clive, who established British rule in India, Hastings carried out major reforms, and became governor general of Bengal in 1774. Impeached for corruption on his return to England in 1785, he was acquitted in 1795

Hastings
Resort in East Sussex, southeast England, on the English Channel; population (2001) 85,800. Fishing is an important activity; the town has Britain's largest fleet of beach-launched fishing boats and a new wholesale fish market. Other industries include engineering and the manufacture of scientific and aerospace-related instrumen...

Hassan II
King of Morocco 1961–99. He succeeded the throne upon the death of his father Mohamed V. Following riots in Casablanca in 1965, he established a royal dictatorship and survived two coup attempts. The occupation of the former Spanish Western Sahara in 1976 enabled him to rally strong popular support and consolidate his power. He returned to con...

Hartz Mountains
Range running N–S in Tasmania, Australia, with two remarkable peaks: Hartz Mountain (1,254 m/4,113 ft) and Adamsons Peak (1,224 m/4,017 ft)

Haryana
State of northwest India; area 44,222 sq km/17,074 sq mi; population (2001 est) 21,082,000. The capital is Chandigarh (also capital of Punjab state). The state lies on the Gangetic plain, drained by the Yamuna River. Chief industries are textiles, cement, iron ore, bicycles, farm machinery, and processing of agricultural products, espec...

harmony
In music, the sounding together of notes to produce a chord. Although the term suggests a pleasant or agreeable sound, it is applied to any combination of notes and the chord can therefore be consonant or dissonant. The term also refers to the progression (flow) of chords in a piece of music and the way they relate to each other. An important contr...

harmonium
Small 19th-century organ whose sound was produced by the vibration of free reeds (thin metal tongues). The vibrations were created by air flow from foot-operated bellows, and lever-action knee swells controlled dynamics. It was invented by Alexandre Debain in Paris, France, in about 1842. It was widely adopted in Europe and the USA as a...

Hawking, Stephen
(William) English physicist and cosmologist whose work in general relativity – particularly gravitational field theory – led to a search for a quantum theory of gravity to explain black holes and the Big Bang, singularities that classical relativity theory does not adequately explain...

harmonica
Musical instrument, a pocket-sized reed organ blown directly from the mouth, invented by Charles Wheatstone in 1829; see mouth organ. The glass harmonica (or armonica) is based on an entirely different principle

halftone process
Technique used in printing to reproduce the full range of tones in a photograph or other illustration. The intensity of the printed colour is varied from full strength to the lightest shades, even if one colour of ink is used. The picture to be reproduced is photographed through a screen ruled with a rectangular mesh of fine lines, which breaks up ...

Haora
City of West Bengal, northeast India, on the right bank of the River Hooghly opposite Kolkata (formerly Calcutta); population (2001) 1,008,700. The capital of Haora district, it has jute and cotton factories; rice, flour, and saw mills; iron and steel works and chemical factories; and railway engineering works. Haora suspension brid...

hawthorn
Any of a group of shrubs or trees belonging to the rose family, growing abundantly in eastern North America, and also in Europe and Asia. All have alternate, toothed leaves and bear clusters of showy white, pink, or red flowers. Their small applelike fruits can be red, orange, blue, or black. Hawthor...

hazel
Any of a group of shrubs or trees that includes the European common hazel or cob (C. avellana), of which the filbert is the cultivated variety. North American species include the American hazel (C. americana). (Genus Corylus, family Corylaceae.)

hashish
Drug made from the resin contained in the female flowering tops of hemp (cannabis)

harebell
Perennial plant of the bellflower family, with bell-shaped blue flowers, found on dry grassland and heaths. It is known in Scotland as the bluebell. (Campanula rotundifolia, family Campanulaceae.)

Halley's Comet
Comet that orbits the Sun roughly every 75 years, named after English astronomer Edmond Halley, who calculated its orbit. It is the brightest and most conspicuous of the periodic comets, and recorded sightings go back over 2,000 years. The comet travels around the Sun in the opposite direction to the planets. Its orbit is inclined at almost 20°...

halogen
Any of a group of five non-metallic elements with similar chemical bonding properties: fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine. They form a linked group (Group 7) in the periodic table, descending from fluorine, the most reactive, to astatine, the least reactive. They all have coloured vapours and are poisonous. Melting points and...

hafnium
Silvery, metallic element, atomic number 72, relative atomic mass 178.49. It occurs in nature in ores of zirconium, the properties of which it resembles. Hafnium absorbs neutrons better than most metals, so it is used in the control rods of nuclear reactors; it is also used for light-bulb filaments. It was named in 1923 by Dutch physicist D...

haematite
Principal ore of iron, consisting mainly of iron(III) oxide, Fe2O3. It occurs as specular haematite (dark, metallic lustre), kidney ore (reddish radiating fibres terminating in smooth, rounded surfaces), and a red earthy deposit

hawk moth
Any member of a family of moths with more than 1,000 species distributed throughout the world, but found mainly in tropical regions. Some South American hawk moths closely resemble hummingbirds. (Family Sphingidae.)

harvest mite
Another name for the chigger, a parasitic mite

hawk
(bird) Click images to enlargeAny of a group of small to medium-sized birds of prey, belonging to the same family as eagles, kites, ospreys, and vultures. Hawks have short, rounded wings and a long tail compared with falcons, and keen eyesight...

harvestman
Small animal (an arachnid) related to spiders with very long, thin legs and a small body. Harvestmen are different from true spiders in that they do not have a waist or narrow part to the oval body. They feed on small insects and spiders, and lay their eggs in autumn, to hatch the following spring or early summer. They are found from the Arctic to ...

harrier
(hound) Breed of hound, similar to a foxhound but smaller, used in packs for hare-hunting

harrier
(bird) Any of a group of birds of prey, family Accipitridae, order Falconiformes. Harriers have long wings and legs, a small head with a short beak, an owl-like frill of thickset feathers around the face, and soft plumage. They ea...

hare
Mammal closely related to the rabbit, similar in appearance but larger. Hares have very long black-tipped ears, long hind legs, and short upturned tails. (Genus Lepus, family Leporidae, order Lagomorpha.) Throughout the long breeding season (June–August) there are chases and `boxing matches` among males and fem...

hammerhead
Any of several species of shark found in tropical seas, characterized by having eyes at the ends of flattened hammerlike extensions of the skull. Hammerheads can grow to 4 m/13 ft in length. (Genus Sphyrna, family Sphyrnidae.)

halibut
Any of a group of large flatfishes found in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The largest of the flatfishes, they may grow up to 2 m/6 ft in length and weigh 90–135 kg/200–300 lb. They are a very dark mottled brown or green above and pure white on the underside. The Atlantic halibut (H. hippoglossus) is caught of...

hake
Any of various marine fishes belonging to the cod family, found in northern European, African, and American waters. They have silvery elongated bodies and grow up to 1 m/3 ft in length. They have two dorsal fins and one long anal fin. The silver hake (M. bilinearis) is an important food fish. (Genera Merluccius
hairstreak
Any of a group of small butterflies, related to blues and coppers. Hairstreaks live in both temperate and tropical regions. Most of them are brownish or greyish-blue with hairlike tips streaked with white at the end of their hind wings. (Genera Callophrys and other related genera, family Lycaenidae.)

haddock
Marine fish belonging to the cod family and found off the North Atlantic coastline. It is brown with silvery underparts and black markings above the pectoral fins. It can grow up to 1 m/3 ft in length. Haddock are important food fish; about 45 million kg/100 million lb are taken annually off the New England fishing banks alone. (Species...

Harvey, William
English physician who discovered the circulation of blood. In 1628 he published his book De motu cordis/On the Motion of the Heart and the Blood in Animals. He also explored the development of chick and deer embryos. Harvey's discovery marked the beginning of the end of med...

haploid
Having a single set of chromosomes in each cell. Most higher organisms are diploid – that is, they have two sets – but their gametes (sex cells) are haploid. Some plants, such as mosses, liverworts, and many seaweeds, are haploid, and male honey bees are haploid because they develop from eggs that have not been fertilized. See also meiosi...

habitat
In ecology, the localized environment in which an organism lives, and which provides for all (or almost all) of its needs. The diversity of habitats found within the Earth's ecosystem is enormous, and they are changing all the time. They may vary through the year or over many years. Many can be considered inorganic or physical; for example,...

hazardous waste
Waste substance, usually generated by industry, that represents a hazard to the environment or to people living or working nearby. Examples include radioactive wastes, acidic resins, arsenic residues, residual hardening salts, lead from car exhausts, mercury, non-ferrous sludges, organic solvents...

hart's-tongue
Fern with straplike undivided fronds, up to 60 cm/24 in long, which have clearly visible brown spore-bearing organs on the undersides. The plant is native to Europe, Asia, and eastern North America, and is found on walls, in shady rocky places, and in woods. (Phyllitis scolopendrium, family Polypodiaceae.)

hawfinch
European finch, about 18 cm/7 in long. It feeds on berries and seeds, and can crack cherry stones with its large, powerful beak. The male bird has brown plumage, a black throat and black wings with a bold white shoulder stripe, a short white-tipped tail, and a broad band of grey at the back of the neck. (Species Coccothraustes cocc...

hartebeest
Large African antelope with lyre-shaped horns set close on top of the head in both sexes. It can grow to 1.5 m/5 ft tall at the rather humped shoulders and up to 2 m/6 ft long. Although they are clumsy-looking runners, hartebeest can reach speeds of 65 kph/40 mph. (Species Alcelaphus buselaphus, family Bovidae...

hamster
Any of a group of burrowing rodents with a thickset body, short tail, and cheek pouches to carry food. Several genera are found across Asia and in southeastern Europe. Hamsters are often kept as pets. (Genera include Cricetus and Mesocricetus, family Cricetidae.) Species include the European and Asian black-...